Post by superman on Jun 18, 2012 14:29:15 GMT -5
Real name: William MacIntyre
Alter Ego: Triumph
Status
Occupation: Super-villain (Psychopath)
Martial Status: Single
Legal Status: U.S. Citizen
Group Affiliation(s): Justice League (former), Justice League Task Force (former)
Origin
Place of Birth: U.S.
Known Relatives: Katherine MacIntyre (mother, deceased), James MacIntyre
History
William MacIntire spent the afternoon of his eighth birthday standing in the dirt road of the Cliffside Trailer Park straining for a glimpse of his father's ratty blue pick-up. He waited until dusk; until it was so dark, his mom had to insist he waited by their trailer so he wouldn't get run over. Then it began raining, and Will was soaked so thoroughly the water pooled in his well-worn sneakers.
A police cruiser raced down the road and Will's mom yanked him inside. The police startled her, which in turn frightened Will. The car sped by without incident and Will's mom spat out his father's name while fighting back tears. Will tried to comfort his mom, but she snapped at him, ordering him to go shower and change. His dad wasn't showing up, again.
Will knew fairly little about his dad. His father worked a lot. He was gone for days at a time, and his work took them from town to town. Will learned not to make close friends because as soon as he did his family would leave town. Will became a loner; an introvert with an analytical mind, a creative imagination, and far too much time on his hands.
Will knew his father was a crook. He had to be; all the clues were there. He also knew his father made his mother cry, again and again. Dad would vanish for months at a time, which probably meant he was in jail. When Dad was home, he was distant; cold emotionally unavailable. His dad showed Will a face and personality that he considered appropriate for an eight year-old, not realizing Will's emotional retreat honed his analytic abilities. Will was sharp. Will read between the lines.
Unfortunately, Will's deductive reasoning was governed by an eight year-olds emotional disposition and sense of the fantastic. That's why, when Will discovered a black rubber costume in his dad's footlocker, he came to the conclusion that his father was a master criminal; a “Super Villain.”
This, of course, was completely wrong.
Nevertheless, it was that conclusion, that moment of discovery, that shaped Will's future.
Will’s dad was, in fact, a henchman. He was one of the faceless, generic goons hovering behind “The Penguin” or “Kobra.” His dad had actually worked for quite a few costumed criminals. Over the years, his dad had amassed quite a wardrobe of silly rubber suits. However, he was never the main man; never the master planner. Will’s dad was typically the driver, driving the FinMobile from heist to heist. It was a secret life, and the only real way his dad- an unskilled, uneducated day laborer- could support his family.
Will’s mom wept not because the dad had abused her, but because she worried about him constantly. Her husband's sacrifice weighed heavily on her, resulting in frayed nerves and declining health. She dutifully shielded her son from his father’s secret life, using her own colorful imagination to rationalize the sudden relocations, the prolonged absences, and her own paranoid fear of police.
She never suspected her efforts were wasted. However, eight year-old Will MacIntire had made up his mind about things. His parents' fairly transparent efforts to conceal his father’s secret life only confirmed things in Will's mind. Clearly his dad was a very evil person, a malevolent master criminal; perhaps even a murderer. His father made his mother cry; his father forgot his birthday. Will knew in his heart that dad was bad.
Things got worse. After his eighth birthday, Will’s mom was forced to reveal at least a part of his dad's secret life to her son. His dad, currently a wheel man for The Rattler, was drawn into the battle between the Rattler and the semi-retired Hourman. Hourman won and Will’s dad was arrested. This time, however, it was his third felony conviction, the one that could land him in jail for life.
The defense attorney for Will’s dad insisted that Will and his mom appear in court, hoping their presence would play on the sympathy of the jury. The ploy didn't work. The judge threw the book at Will’s dad. Will didn't say good-bye.
Unknown to Will, Hourman was in court that day, in his secret identity. The stoic, disaffected little boy struck a cord in Hourman and that night, he paid Will a clandestine visit.
Hourman’s appearance was the turning point in Will's life. Here was the antithesis to everything Will's father stood for. Hourman urged Will not to blame his father, but to learn from his mistakes and make a better life for himself. The visit lasted all of thirty seconds before Hourman vanished into the night, but it changed Will's life forever. From that moment forward, Will knew his life would be the opposite of his father's.
Will knew that someday he would become a hero.
Will trained endlessly during the following years, hoping to somehow redeem his family's name. Then, by a strange coincidence, he developed powers during his teenage years. Then, as the age of heroes was born, Will donned a costume and took the name Triumph.
Triumph had uncovered a disturbance in the earth's magnetic field. Aliens were sucking the planet dry of its magnetic energy and Triumph knew that this was a time for action. Convincing Superman to vouch for him, Triumph was able to gather the combined might of Barry Allen, Hal Jordan, Dinah Lance, Aquaman and the Martian Manhunter in their first formal grouping as the Justice League of America to repel the invasion.
There was tension in the group, however, as Triumph's anti-social, task-oriented personality lead to conflict. As the battle hit its crucial moment, the heroes turned their attention towards a variety of tasks. The Martian Manhunter urged Triumph to be patient but Triumph felt the need to act. He punched the Martian Manhunter and proceeded to attack the alien ship. Damaging its space/time drive, Triumph and the ship were pulled into a sort of temporal limbo.
The last few days of memory involving Triumph and the ship were forgotten by all who remained behind as the group drifted back to their separate bases, unsure why they had come to Washington, DC. In Triumph's absence, the Justice League formed again to repel an Appellaxian invasion, no one the wiser that the team had already formed under Triumph weeks before to repel another alien invasion.
Triumph spent nearly a decade adrift in stasis, aware of life passing him by. Seeing the other heroes go on to take their places in history while the world never knew Triumph even existed. Triumph's decade in purgatory was a bitter pill for him to swallow. He re-lived his first and only adventure over and again in his mind.
As a result of the rampant time anomalies unleashed recently, Triumph and his alien adversaries were released from limbo and thrown into the current time stream. Triumph sought aid from the Justice League of that era, who reluctantly provided it. Despite a series of misunderstandings, the team was successful.
Triumph ends up complaining to the team, saying repeatedly about how he was there, in the beginning, and how he is due the same respect as Superman, Martian Manhunter, Black Canary and the Flash, claims absolutely no one takes seriously. Martian Manhunter invites him to the Justice League's training team, their youthful Task Force.
Triumph decides to join the Task Force, but the whole time he is constantly disobeying Jon’s orders, doing his own thing, trying to prove he is better. Many times he is, but Jon will not allow him to disobey his leadership. At one time Triumph almost gets the team killed.
During a battle, Triumph has his back severely injured and nearly broken. He used his powers to stop the pain and keep himself rather normal, but when he sleeps, he needed a machine that keeps him immobile. It’s a rough time in Triumph’s life, and Neron decides to visit him.
Neron offers Triumph all his desires. Neron promised to heal his back, and he would make it so Triumph never was lost in time for 10 years. He would make it so everyone remembers him and he would have a chance to be a greater hero than Superman, just like he should have been. Neron leaves Triumph with a candle, that if lit, would indicate that Triumph accepted the deal.
Triumph had many instances where he almost lit the candle, but in the end he held back. Triumph put the candle away, content to never use it. Triumph's aggressive impatience on Martian Manhunter’s team causes too much friction and the Manhunter ends up firing him.
Triumph then got in touch with his broker and discovered that an investment in the Armchair Shopper Network ten years earlier had paid off, making him a billionaire. He formed his own private investigation company that tracked down criminals who thought themselves beyond the law.
Triumph's team was a pseudo revenge squad. Their clients were typically victims of violent crime. If Triumph accepted a case, he would charge whatever the client was able to pay— even if that's nothing at all. Triumph and his team will, through various intelligence channels and in cooperation with a variety of law enforcement agencies, went after the most fearsome villains. They did not back off until the villain's organization was destroyed and/or the bad guy is jailed. Actually, destroying the organization is the priority.
Then an unfortunate accident occurred when friends of Triumph lit the candle that Neron had given him. Triumph was instantly transported back in time, to the original event that trapped him in time for 10 years. He was highly distraught, for all his new friends, his new life, was all gone, again. But he did have another chance to start over, so he took it. He led the JLA through the alien invasion and was a proud leader and member. The good fortune didn’t last long.
Luck soured for Triumph when the JLA battled with the villain Amazo and Triumph permanently lost his powers. Triumph was furious; he had lost his soul, now his powers, his fortune, and finally his membership on the JLA.
Triumph continued his life as a normal man, full of bitterness and hate as he watched the JLA, the team he had formed, become world renowned heroes.
Ten years past and Triumph was living in near poverty. He snuck into the JLA watchtower and stole their trophies and some advanced technology in order to sell. When trying to sell it, he found himself in trouble with the villains Kong and Bulldozer, who were bent on executing him.
Triumph began hearing a voice come from the stuff he had stolen from the JLA. As he was about to die, he found a pen that contained the 5th Dimensional genie LKZ. LKZ convinced Triumph to free him from his prison. Once freed LKZ killed Triumph's tormenters and told Triumph that he could have three wishes. LKZ only had one request, to be let free to roam the earth and cause destruction. Triumph had nothing to lose, so accepted, and his first wish was to have his powers back.
Triumph invited his old Task Force teammates Ray II and Gypsy to join his new Justice League. Once they arrived he took control of their minds and forced them to aid him in taking over the JLA Watchtower. Triumph learned that LKZ was wrecking havoc on Earth, and the JLA were unable to stop him, so he planned to wait until things couldn't get any worse, then defeat LKZ with Ray and Gypsy and become the most admired hero on Earth.
Steel tries to stop Triumph in the JLA tower, but Triumph easily overpowers him, removing from his armor. Then Aquaman and Batman arrive, and Triumph defeats them as well. Finally Superman arrives and attacks him. The two lock hands and Triumph tells Superman that he is as fast and strong as him, and has powers he doesn’t even have names for. Triumph then begins to drain the solar energy from Superman.
Meanwhile, the rest of the JLA and JSA defeat LKZ.
Steel regains control of the watchtower and attacks Triumph. With the combination of Steel and Superman, Triumph starts to falter. Triumph tells Superman how cheated he felt, that if he hadn't been lost in time he would have been as respected and loved as any other member of the JLA. Superman tells Triumph that he would have been gladly accepted into the new JLA if he just asked.
Triumph was about to apologize and beg for another chance to join the JLA, but then the Spectre appeared. The Spectre sentenced Triumph to death for all the destruction he allowed LKZ to cause on Earth. The Spectre turned Triumph to ice and was about to smash him with a hammer when Zauriel intervened and pleaded for Triumph's life. The Spectre disagrees, but leaves nonetheless. The JLA put Triumph's frozen body on display in the JLA trophy room, with a plaque reading "Founding member of the JLA."
To make matters worse, Triumph was once again, ‘awake’ in his ice form. Just like his 10 years in limbo, Triumph was aware of all that occurred around him. Triumph screamed for days on end. Of course no one heard him, as it was all in his mind. Once again he thought about ‘what could have been’.
His rage nearly consumed him. He had lost everything; even after giving up his soul, he had lost everything.
Triumph focused all his thoughts on revenge. The JLA were the reason sole reason for all of his misfortune. If he only had another chance, is all he thought about. With his power, he actually created a virtual world of energy within his mind. In his reality he would go over scenario after scenario of destroying the JLA. Furthermore, within his world, he was developing his powers, exploring new ways of controlling and manipulating electromagnetic energy. Triumph sent calls for help with his powers, and finally his call was answered.
In his mental world a figure appeared before him. At first Triumph thought it was just another one of his subconscious creations. Then the figure spoke, and Triumph found himself talking to Neron, the demon prince.
Triumph was confused, for he had already dealth with the demon prince before, and Neron already owned his soul…. Or so he thought.
Neron explained that although the candle had been lit, sending Triumph back in time and giving him another chance to start over, that since it wasn’t Triumph that lit the candle, his soul was still his own.
Neron was there with another offer. He still wanted Triumph’s soul.
Neron not only offered Triumph escape, but fortune as well. Triumph would be freed and get the wealth he had before.
The price was steep. Not only did he want Triumph’s soul, but he wanted Triumph to find him three other souls. Triumph would have one year to entice three heroes to the side of evil. If he didn’t accomplish the task, Neron would take his soul after the year, killing him.
Triumph gladly accepted the offer. What else did he have to lose? If anything, it would give him at least one more year to live, instead of an eternity made of ice.
Neron then freed Triumph and made him a billionaire. He now has one year to entice three heroes to the side of evil. He also has revenge on his mind; revenge against the JLA.
Neron, being the sly devil that he is, also altered Triumph a little, increasing his intelligence and removing some of those heroic tendencies still in his mind.
Alter Ego: Triumph
Status
Occupation: Super-villain (Psychopath)
Martial Status: Single
Legal Status: U.S. Citizen
Group Affiliation(s): Justice League (former), Justice League Task Force (former)
Origin
Place of Birth: U.S.
Known Relatives: Katherine MacIntyre (mother, deceased), James MacIntyre
History
William MacIntire spent the afternoon of his eighth birthday standing in the dirt road of the Cliffside Trailer Park straining for a glimpse of his father's ratty blue pick-up. He waited until dusk; until it was so dark, his mom had to insist he waited by their trailer so he wouldn't get run over. Then it began raining, and Will was soaked so thoroughly the water pooled in his well-worn sneakers.
A police cruiser raced down the road and Will's mom yanked him inside. The police startled her, which in turn frightened Will. The car sped by without incident and Will's mom spat out his father's name while fighting back tears. Will tried to comfort his mom, but she snapped at him, ordering him to go shower and change. His dad wasn't showing up, again.
Will knew fairly little about his dad. His father worked a lot. He was gone for days at a time, and his work took them from town to town. Will learned not to make close friends because as soon as he did his family would leave town. Will became a loner; an introvert with an analytical mind, a creative imagination, and far too much time on his hands.
Will knew his father was a crook. He had to be; all the clues were there. He also knew his father made his mother cry, again and again. Dad would vanish for months at a time, which probably meant he was in jail. When Dad was home, he was distant; cold emotionally unavailable. His dad showed Will a face and personality that he considered appropriate for an eight year-old, not realizing Will's emotional retreat honed his analytic abilities. Will was sharp. Will read between the lines.
Unfortunately, Will's deductive reasoning was governed by an eight year-olds emotional disposition and sense of the fantastic. That's why, when Will discovered a black rubber costume in his dad's footlocker, he came to the conclusion that his father was a master criminal; a “Super Villain.”
This, of course, was completely wrong.
Nevertheless, it was that conclusion, that moment of discovery, that shaped Will's future.
Will’s dad was, in fact, a henchman. He was one of the faceless, generic goons hovering behind “The Penguin” or “Kobra.” His dad had actually worked for quite a few costumed criminals. Over the years, his dad had amassed quite a wardrobe of silly rubber suits. However, he was never the main man; never the master planner. Will’s dad was typically the driver, driving the FinMobile from heist to heist. It was a secret life, and the only real way his dad- an unskilled, uneducated day laborer- could support his family.
Will’s mom wept not because the dad had abused her, but because she worried about him constantly. Her husband's sacrifice weighed heavily on her, resulting in frayed nerves and declining health. She dutifully shielded her son from his father’s secret life, using her own colorful imagination to rationalize the sudden relocations, the prolonged absences, and her own paranoid fear of police.
She never suspected her efforts were wasted. However, eight year-old Will MacIntire had made up his mind about things. His parents' fairly transparent efforts to conceal his father’s secret life only confirmed things in Will's mind. Clearly his dad was a very evil person, a malevolent master criminal; perhaps even a murderer. His father made his mother cry; his father forgot his birthday. Will knew in his heart that dad was bad.
Things got worse. After his eighth birthday, Will’s mom was forced to reveal at least a part of his dad's secret life to her son. His dad, currently a wheel man for The Rattler, was drawn into the battle between the Rattler and the semi-retired Hourman. Hourman won and Will’s dad was arrested. This time, however, it was his third felony conviction, the one that could land him in jail for life.
The defense attorney for Will’s dad insisted that Will and his mom appear in court, hoping their presence would play on the sympathy of the jury. The ploy didn't work. The judge threw the book at Will’s dad. Will didn't say good-bye.
Unknown to Will, Hourman was in court that day, in his secret identity. The stoic, disaffected little boy struck a cord in Hourman and that night, he paid Will a clandestine visit.
Hourman’s appearance was the turning point in Will's life. Here was the antithesis to everything Will's father stood for. Hourman urged Will not to blame his father, but to learn from his mistakes and make a better life for himself. The visit lasted all of thirty seconds before Hourman vanished into the night, but it changed Will's life forever. From that moment forward, Will knew his life would be the opposite of his father's.
Will knew that someday he would become a hero.
Will trained endlessly during the following years, hoping to somehow redeem his family's name. Then, by a strange coincidence, he developed powers during his teenage years. Then, as the age of heroes was born, Will donned a costume and took the name Triumph.
Triumph had uncovered a disturbance in the earth's magnetic field. Aliens were sucking the planet dry of its magnetic energy and Triumph knew that this was a time for action. Convincing Superman to vouch for him, Triumph was able to gather the combined might of Barry Allen, Hal Jordan, Dinah Lance, Aquaman and the Martian Manhunter in their first formal grouping as the Justice League of America to repel the invasion.
There was tension in the group, however, as Triumph's anti-social, task-oriented personality lead to conflict. As the battle hit its crucial moment, the heroes turned their attention towards a variety of tasks. The Martian Manhunter urged Triumph to be patient but Triumph felt the need to act. He punched the Martian Manhunter and proceeded to attack the alien ship. Damaging its space/time drive, Triumph and the ship were pulled into a sort of temporal limbo.
The last few days of memory involving Triumph and the ship were forgotten by all who remained behind as the group drifted back to their separate bases, unsure why they had come to Washington, DC. In Triumph's absence, the Justice League formed again to repel an Appellaxian invasion, no one the wiser that the team had already formed under Triumph weeks before to repel another alien invasion.
Triumph spent nearly a decade adrift in stasis, aware of life passing him by. Seeing the other heroes go on to take their places in history while the world never knew Triumph even existed. Triumph's decade in purgatory was a bitter pill for him to swallow. He re-lived his first and only adventure over and again in his mind.
As a result of the rampant time anomalies unleashed recently, Triumph and his alien adversaries were released from limbo and thrown into the current time stream. Triumph sought aid from the Justice League of that era, who reluctantly provided it. Despite a series of misunderstandings, the team was successful.
Triumph ends up complaining to the team, saying repeatedly about how he was there, in the beginning, and how he is due the same respect as Superman, Martian Manhunter, Black Canary and the Flash, claims absolutely no one takes seriously. Martian Manhunter invites him to the Justice League's training team, their youthful Task Force.
Triumph decides to join the Task Force, but the whole time he is constantly disobeying Jon’s orders, doing his own thing, trying to prove he is better. Many times he is, but Jon will not allow him to disobey his leadership. At one time Triumph almost gets the team killed.
During a battle, Triumph has his back severely injured and nearly broken. He used his powers to stop the pain and keep himself rather normal, but when he sleeps, he needed a machine that keeps him immobile. It’s a rough time in Triumph’s life, and Neron decides to visit him.
Neron offers Triumph all his desires. Neron promised to heal his back, and he would make it so Triumph never was lost in time for 10 years. He would make it so everyone remembers him and he would have a chance to be a greater hero than Superman, just like he should have been. Neron leaves Triumph with a candle, that if lit, would indicate that Triumph accepted the deal.
Triumph had many instances where he almost lit the candle, but in the end he held back. Triumph put the candle away, content to never use it. Triumph's aggressive impatience on Martian Manhunter’s team causes too much friction and the Manhunter ends up firing him.
Triumph then got in touch with his broker and discovered that an investment in the Armchair Shopper Network ten years earlier had paid off, making him a billionaire. He formed his own private investigation company that tracked down criminals who thought themselves beyond the law.
Triumph's team was a pseudo revenge squad. Their clients were typically victims of violent crime. If Triumph accepted a case, he would charge whatever the client was able to pay— even if that's nothing at all. Triumph and his team will, through various intelligence channels and in cooperation with a variety of law enforcement agencies, went after the most fearsome villains. They did not back off until the villain's organization was destroyed and/or the bad guy is jailed. Actually, destroying the organization is the priority.
Then an unfortunate accident occurred when friends of Triumph lit the candle that Neron had given him. Triumph was instantly transported back in time, to the original event that trapped him in time for 10 years. He was highly distraught, for all his new friends, his new life, was all gone, again. But he did have another chance to start over, so he took it. He led the JLA through the alien invasion and was a proud leader and member. The good fortune didn’t last long.
Luck soured for Triumph when the JLA battled with the villain Amazo and Triumph permanently lost his powers. Triumph was furious; he had lost his soul, now his powers, his fortune, and finally his membership on the JLA.
Triumph continued his life as a normal man, full of bitterness and hate as he watched the JLA, the team he had formed, become world renowned heroes.
Ten years past and Triumph was living in near poverty. He snuck into the JLA watchtower and stole their trophies and some advanced technology in order to sell. When trying to sell it, he found himself in trouble with the villains Kong and Bulldozer, who were bent on executing him.
Triumph began hearing a voice come from the stuff he had stolen from the JLA. As he was about to die, he found a pen that contained the 5th Dimensional genie LKZ. LKZ convinced Triumph to free him from his prison. Once freed LKZ killed Triumph's tormenters and told Triumph that he could have three wishes. LKZ only had one request, to be let free to roam the earth and cause destruction. Triumph had nothing to lose, so accepted, and his first wish was to have his powers back.
Triumph invited his old Task Force teammates Ray II and Gypsy to join his new Justice League. Once they arrived he took control of their minds and forced them to aid him in taking over the JLA Watchtower. Triumph learned that LKZ was wrecking havoc on Earth, and the JLA were unable to stop him, so he planned to wait until things couldn't get any worse, then defeat LKZ with Ray and Gypsy and become the most admired hero on Earth.
Steel tries to stop Triumph in the JLA tower, but Triumph easily overpowers him, removing from his armor. Then Aquaman and Batman arrive, and Triumph defeats them as well. Finally Superman arrives and attacks him. The two lock hands and Triumph tells Superman that he is as fast and strong as him, and has powers he doesn’t even have names for. Triumph then begins to drain the solar energy from Superman.
Meanwhile, the rest of the JLA and JSA defeat LKZ.
Steel regains control of the watchtower and attacks Triumph. With the combination of Steel and Superman, Triumph starts to falter. Triumph tells Superman how cheated he felt, that if he hadn't been lost in time he would have been as respected and loved as any other member of the JLA. Superman tells Triumph that he would have been gladly accepted into the new JLA if he just asked.
Triumph was about to apologize and beg for another chance to join the JLA, but then the Spectre appeared. The Spectre sentenced Triumph to death for all the destruction he allowed LKZ to cause on Earth. The Spectre turned Triumph to ice and was about to smash him with a hammer when Zauriel intervened and pleaded for Triumph's life. The Spectre disagrees, but leaves nonetheless. The JLA put Triumph's frozen body on display in the JLA trophy room, with a plaque reading "Founding member of the JLA."
To make matters worse, Triumph was once again, ‘awake’ in his ice form. Just like his 10 years in limbo, Triumph was aware of all that occurred around him. Triumph screamed for days on end. Of course no one heard him, as it was all in his mind. Once again he thought about ‘what could have been’.
His rage nearly consumed him. He had lost everything; even after giving up his soul, he had lost everything.
Triumph focused all his thoughts on revenge. The JLA were the reason sole reason for all of his misfortune. If he only had another chance, is all he thought about. With his power, he actually created a virtual world of energy within his mind. In his reality he would go over scenario after scenario of destroying the JLA. Furthermore, within his world, he was developing his powers, exploring new ways of controlling and manipulating electromagnetic energy. Triumph sent calls for help with his powers, and finally his call was answered.
In his mental world a figure appeared before him. At first Triumph thought it was just another one of his subconscious creations. Then the figure spoke, and Triumph found himself talking to Neron, the demon prince.
Triumph was confused, for he had already dealth with the demon prince before, and Neron already owned his soul…. Or so he thought.
Neron explained that although the candle had been lit, sending Triumph back in time and giving him another chance to start over, that since it wasn’t Triumph that lit the candle, his soul was still his own.
Neron was there with another offer. He still wanted Triumph’s soul.
Neron not only offered Triumph escape, but fortune as well. Triumph would be freed and get the wealth he had before.
The price was steep. Not only did he want Triumph’s soul, but he wanted Triumph to find him three other souls. Triumph would have one year to entice three heroes to the side of evil. If he didn’t accomplish the task, Neron would take his soul after the year, killing him.
Triumph gladly accepted the offer. What else did he have to lose? If anything, it would give him at least one more year to live, instead of an eternity made of ice.
Neron then freed Triumph and made him a billionaire. He now has one year to entice three heroes to the side of evil. He also has revenge on his mind; revenge against the JLA.
Neron, being the sly devil that he is, also altered Triumph a little, increasing his intelligence and removing some of those heroic tendencies still in his mind.